Continuing to lose 80 percent of their games could have set this franchise back another three or four years.

Instead, they often look like they are in position to jump into contention next season (though not without a few shrewd moves between now and then... and a lot of fielding practice, too).

Whether or not he is the manager then remains to be seen, but Jim Riggleman deserves to be praised for accomplishing the No. 1 thing he needed to do for these players: Restore their sense of pride.

Few would have batted an eye if the Reds went quietly into the night Tuesday in Cleveland.

The odds were long, and they hadn’t gotten much shorter by the time two were out, but they pushed on and recorded another great memory in a season that not long ago looked like it would be fully forgettable.

The Reds haven’t played with this spirit since at least 2012.

Call it a hangover from blowing a 2-0 lead in the playoffs against the Giants.

Call it not having enough good players.

You know, whatever.

Something has just been off for about half a decade.

They sleepwalked to a wild card in 2013 before being put out of their misery in Pittsburgh.

I thought firing Dusty Baker might wake them up, but obviously that wasn’t the case.